Santos port strike expected today

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Longshoremen in South America’s largest port said they planned to join a broad industrial strike Thursday in Brazil to protest a potential loss of jobs at the Port of Santos, according to a Reuters report Wednesday.
Members of the National Stevedores Association in Brasilia are concerned about privatization at a new container terminal in Santos, with union longshoremen alleging the group behind the new terminal won’t hire from a centralized agency.
The longshoremen briefly walked out Wednesday, delaying the loading of some 13 containerships, before the protest was called off in favor of joining the broader strike Thursday.
Brazilian ports have been beset by port strikes in recent months, including one involving bulk cargo handlers in May. A separate strike by truckers last week slowed grain deliveries, Reuters reported, and the country was also impacted by widespread social protests during a recent soccer tournament held to prepare Brazil for its duties hosting the World Cup next summer.
Santos handles roughly the same container volume on an annual basis as Georgia's Port of Savannah. - Eric Johnson